Calamity Fantasia
by Amatsu Kagaseo
Summary: It was supposed to end up like every other loop. But instead of becoming Black Beast, Ragna obtains the Susano'o Unit from his brother and returns as the Crimson Susano'o of Destruction, Bloodedge! Watch as he changes the course of Blazblue, even Terumi can't predict this! Strong language alert!
1. Chapter 1

~Birth of Destroyer (read: Savior)~

"Ragna… We are finally together…"

"Brother, get out of there! BROOOOOOOOTHER!"

Ragna's vision was fading fast despite the scream from his younger sibling, Jin, echoing over his ears. His muscles already abandoned him and he felt like he needed to sleep. Ragna saw a hazy silhouette of Rachel flying above with a sad look before falling into the burning depth behind.

'Ah hell…' Ragna cursed in his head as he and Nu kept falling down with her gargantuan sword impaled through both. And then the images of his childhood flashed before his eyes. There was Saya, as usual, but her expression was desperate and tearful. He could not make out what she was saying but somehow, he gained the strength to forcefully push the psychopath that was latching on his body away.

"Ragna…! What are you doing?! You cannot – "

"S…Shut up! My life is mine to decide. You can go six feet under alone!"

Ragna yelled while summoning all of his newfound strength to kick the girl away, ignoring her anguishing cry as the inferno devoured her. He panted as adrenaline left his body but still managed to make a smirk.

"**H****o, how interesting.**"

Ragna's head snapped to the direction of the familiar voice, a _very_ familiar voice. He had no idea why the Masked Freak ended up here with him but it's sure as hell that he had to give the bastard a good beating before passing to next life. He tried to grab Bloodscythe but then realized that it probably got destroyed earlier.

"Dammit Masked Freak, must you haunt me to this hellhole too?!"

"**Rest assure, Dark One. No, I should properly call you 'brother'**."

Hakumen dropped the faceplate and revealed the astral face of Jin Kisaragi. Ragna was speechless and tried to reach him but was terrified to see his arm starting to deteriorating.

"Dammit, is this my end?" He cursed out loud, disappointed at his inability to escape this place and continue his quest for revenge. Normally, Hakumen would use this opportunity to erase a potential threat of the world but this Hakumen was from the future and he had an idea from the beginning. The Hero, no, Jin floated towards his brother and extended a hand.

"**Brother, both of us know that your time is almost up. But there is one way.**"

"Don't you dare pity me, _Jin_. You of all people were so determined to cut off my fucking head and now you are offering a solution to save me?!"

"**LISTEN HERE, **_**brother.**_** As much as I want to do so, now it is not the time. My soul is at its last legs and the Susano'o Unit can only delay the inevitable. Brother, I ask of you to take up this armor and end my miserable existence. That way, you can return to the surface and finish your quest.**"

Now Ragna noticed that his brother's soul was getting brighter and brighter and if his words were true, Jin was going to disappear. Small but visible streams of tears began to flow on his face as Ragna's trembling hands went to hug his brother.

"Jin…I…I…Dammit, I am not supposed to cry like this." Ragna quietly sobbed, a rare sight for a monster like him. "Fine, I will take it if that is your last wish."

"**Thank you, brother.**" Jin closed his eyes as the Susano'o Unit detached each of its limbs and body armor from him. His astral form stayed long enough for him to give his dear brother one last smile before dissolving into particles. Ragna let out a heart-wrenching cry as the Unit attached its parts on his body.

* * *

-Current loop-

Rachel sighed at the same scene over and over again. Ragna was about to fall into the Boundary with Nu-13 and become the Black Beast. And then she saw Noel Vermillion running towards the duo. At first she thought perhaps this could be a new wildcard that would end the countless circle but then shook her head in disappointment as the girl was too late and Ragna still got pulled into the blazing void.

In the same time, Hazama was standing on a platform clicking his tongue and trying his best not to roar in anger as his carefully crafted plan failed. Every element led to this timeline and he along with Relius was so sure that this time the doll would save Raggy and establish her status as the Eye of Blue. He was so, _so, __**so**_ close! But what happening next made him take that back.

A pillar of flame rose from the Boundary, causing the dark sky to bright as if it was day. Rachel and Hazama watched the phenomenon with interest as from within the pillar, a black with red trim energy sphere emerged and landed near the still crying Noel. Hazama's maniac glee grew and then dropped as it revealed Hakumen, albeit the dark red color scheme and more feral looking.

….

Ragna panted heavily as he put the faceplate off to get some air. He sighed in relief as he saw the same old Sheol Gate. Suddenly, he heard crying nearby.

"What the…?"

Ragna turned to see the Library woman he had encountered prior his fight with Nu making a mess next to him. He reached her shoulders and shook lightly. The girl's eyes snapped wide as she jumped at him and hit his chest repeatedly with her tiny hands.

"STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID!"

"…Huh?!"

"STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID**STUPID**!"

She kept going that for a good 5 minutes until Ragna had enough and raised his voice to stop her from calling him stupid, ending the sentence with a 'stupid girl'. Being yelled at, the girl abruptly stopped crying and was trembling.

"Well, um, my bad. Sorry."

"UWAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She gave him one last cry before fainting. Being exhausted, Ragna slumped into a wall and breathed. He took this time to examine his new body: he now had ten big and sharp claws, two of his shoulder pads and the faceplate looked like the heads from his Dead Spike and on his chest was a growing crest. Ragna reached his back but there was no Bloodscythe.

"Dammit, I miss that big ass of a sword."

"What have you done, Ragna?"

Rachel teleported right in front of him and spoke with a distressed voice, scaring the shit out of him. The possibility of the loops getting broken was already so low, him obtaining the Susano'o Unit was just out of imagination. Rachel even feared that he lost his physical body as the armor could only store the user's soul.

"Met the Masked Freak down there and he gave me his armor so I can go back. You happy?"

Ragna was still sore about his brother's death but he was not the type to go around and tell people about personal matter. He even confirmed that he still felt his body. Rachel seemingly didn't believe him but nodded regardless. She then proceeded to explain to him who the girl was and said that she was the Eye, the inheritor of the _true_ Azure.

"Yours is just an imitation, Ragna."

Ragna subconsciously grabbed his right arm as Rachel went on. She talked about how unpredictable the future would be and suddenly her eyes were serious. Rachel warned him against ambushing the power of his Grimoire, fake as it was, and the Susano'o Unit.

"I know. I have to keep this intact as I promised him too."

Rachel was shocked at how out of character Ragna was but right now, there was a much more important task she must complete. The vampire told Ragna to stay put before teleporting away.

Up above, to say Hazama was livid was an understatement.

'How! How in the world did the Puppy even get the Unit! I swear to _Amaterasu_ that Hakky is still lying on the ground outside and there is only one armor ever existed! But _HOW_?!'

He took out his twin balisong and jumped down. Hazama, no, _Yuuki Terumi_ must see this as closest as possible. Perhaps he could get old body back too!

* * *

That finished the first chapter of Calamity Fantasia. Ragna may possess the Susano'o Unit but in exchange, he lost his sword and even the Grimoire. The Blazblue still works but it will not function like before anymore.

R&R guys!


	2. Chapter 2

If anyone is wondering, yes, Hakumen in the first chapter is the Hakumen from the end of Centralfiction.

* * *

~Rebel against Fate~

Ragna was about to doze off when the building began to shake violently, forcing him to jolt up. The debris were falling down at him so as an instinct, he picked up Noel and made a run to the stairs when a shadowy figure was already there, waiting for him.

"Um, sorry but we don't have time to chat. Can't ya move away?"

"Oh no you will have to spend your time with _me_."

The man in suit dropped his fedora and immediately lunged at Ragna with his knives, prompting the latter to raise his arm to block while shielding the sleeping Noel. He retaliated with a non-rushing Hell's Fang. His fist barely missed the man's head but he managed to knock his hat off and Ragna's eyes widened in rage.

"TERUMI!"

"Oiya, took long enough for you to recognize. Missed me, Rags?"

Hazama, _Terumi_, gave Ragna his trademark crazy grin before bombarding him with slashes and kicks. The Reaper was too occupying with protecting Noel that he let some of the attacks hit their mark. Thankfully, the Susano'o could tank them all effortlessly which brought displeasure to Terumi.

'Can't fight like this.' Ragna gritted his teeth as the force generated by each of his nemesis' blow impacted on his still regenerating body. He slammed his foot on Terumi's arm to break free and jumped to a relatively safe corner to put down Noel. He was oddly careful with the girl as somehow she gave him a familiar feeling, just like with Saya –

"Going somewhere?"

Ragna was bound by a snake with chain body and pulled backward for Terumi to deliver a kick on his back. He tried to struggle but his injures and fatigue ultimately weighted him down. Despite that, he still managed to glare at the one that ruined his entire life.

"Damn…you…Terumi…"

"What are you barking, hm? I don't know how you got the Unit but you can't do jackshit here."

Terumi glanced at Noel, who by some miracles was still sleeping, and frowned. What took that doll so long to Observe him? Did the Trigger shut down her brain or something? He decided to check on her while leaving Rags to Ouroboros.

"What are you going to with her – Argh!"

"No one asks you to bark. Shut up Puppy."

Terumi kicked Ragna hard at his guts and walked to Noel as intended. The girl at this moment was starting to awake and was mortified to see the ever friendly Intelligence Officer having a psychopath grin. She backed away as fast as she could before hitting the wall. Her fear increased as she saw the man earlier bound by a sickly looking chain-snake.

"Oh, about time. Now look at me, LOOK AT ME AND _OBSERVE ME_, NOEL VERMILLION!"

As an instinct, Noel shut her eyes and clutched her head in terror while screaming. Ragna was seeing flashbacks of that night, the same night that his arm was cut off and that bastard took his siblings away. Seithr began to leak out from each of the 'mouth' on the Susano'o as Ragna's vision became clearer and clearer.

"**Brother, help me! AAAAAH!**"

"Saya… Saya… SAYAAAA!"

Ragna broke free of Ouroboros and crushed its head in his palm before running towards Terumi, his fist embedded with darkness. It smashed against the latter's head and launched him into the wall immediately. Using this opportunity, Ragna quickly picked up the panicking Noel and made a sharp turn to run. For some reasons, the Susano'o dispensed into seithr and was absorbed into the Azure Grimoire on his right hand.

"!"

Ragna suddenly flinched and puked blood. Noel yelled in horror as the snake head of Ouroboros pierced his chest and the crimson liquid splatted on her face.

"That was a nice strike but unfortunately, it was not enough to kill the old me."

Terumi laughed as he recalled his Nox Nyctores. Ragna fell to the side but still held Noel tight in his arms. He weakly tried to communicate with the girl using his eyes with little hope that she would understand but miraculously, she did. The circular shell on his right hand opened and a portion of the Susano'o, specifically its right arm, appeared. In the same time, Noel called out one her dual guns, the Nox Nyctores Arcus Diabolus: Bolverk.

"You…ready?"

"Y-Yes!"

Dark energy gathered into Ragna's right arm and formed a large black bow. Using what left of his strength and Terumi's unaware, he launched Noel into the air and took aim with his bow. The makeshift weapon flared as Ragna slowly pulled back his left arm as if to 'pull' the string while Bolverk switched to missile launcher mode.

"Now!" "Thor!"

Ragna's bow unleashed a large energy arrow with the same shape of the bow while Noel released the rocket towards Terumi, whose Ouroboros began to form a barrier. The rocket hit first and it managed to knock the snake away while leaving Terumi defenseless. In his last ditch against the incoming arrow, he summoned _her_.

*KABOOM*

The arrow hit its mark and resulted in a big explosion. Exhausted, Ragna collapsed on the ground. He was too tired to react to Terumi emerging from the scene unscathed with a floating witch by his side. Luckily, Rachel arrived at the scene.

"Oiya, isn't it the shitty bloodsucker? What, you gonna protect Raggy again?"

"What I am going to do is none of your business, Terumi. Begone or face my wrath, even _she _cannot save you when it happens."

Rachel scowled and lightning cackled around her. Terumi laughed before waving it off.

"Nah, I will get what I want later. Be sure to take care of Raggy you hear. I want the next time we meet, his head will be in my shelf! Ahahahaha!"

Phantom teleported both of them out of the scene. Rachel walked to the shaking Noel and weakly breathing Ragna. She took a quick look at his situation and smiled lightly.

"My, what a state you are right now Ragna."

"Shut it…Rabbit…" He breathed. "Save the talk…later…"

"For once, I agree with you. We must attend to your wounds. Miss Vermillion, do you happen to know any doctor that can help a notorious criminal like him in this city?"

Ignoring the fact that this young lady somehow knew of her name, Noel told Rachel of Litchi and the latter then transported all three of them to the clinic.

* * *

Back in the Intelligence, Phantom's warping was completed and she disappeared. Terumi broke down and began to cough up blood; there was a glowing scar on his chest as the result on taking Ragna's attack earlier. Despite the witch's fast casting, the teleportation still had a few seconds to activate and it costed him a lot. If it hadn't been for Phantom's raising a barrier field, his body would have blown up.

"Damn Rags, where did he get _my_ body?! And I know for sure it can't conjure such an attack like that!"

Terumi's ghost form momentarily manifested, its long crack now oozed out his essence. Had he not been an immortal being, the process would have killed him, permanently. Relius chose this moment to call him and connected to his office without permission. The Mad Puppeteer had seen the fight and was interested in how their; his, Terumi's and the Imperator's; plan had been foiled.

"Hazama, for the time being, do not engage with Ragna the Bloodedge, or whatever he is now. We cannot risk having you being erased by that attack again."

"Shut up! I won't let this slide easily – Kuh!"

Relius thought of the event earlier. There were very few things in the world that could damage Terumi's ghost form and the Susano'o was supposed to have an ability called 'Time Killer' which could vanquish his colleague for good. But this technique required the sword Ookami or the relic Hihiirokane to properly utilize. He suspected it had to do with the Unit's new appearance and the fact that Ragna the Bloodedge was able to call off and summon it at will, which never happened in the past. Even Terumi himself could not do it.

'How vastly interesting.'

* * *

Litchi was shocked to see Noel with a heavily wounded Ragna with a hole on his chest appearing from nowhere in her clinic. Despite her mixed feelings about the Reaper, as a doctor she could not abandon him.

"Quick, bring him to the operation room!"

Noel waited outside when Litchi and Linhua began the treatment to Ragna. On a rooftop nearby, Rachel was having a conversation with Kokonoe of the Sector Seven. The scientist had watched everything from beginning and still could not believe in the nonexistent chance of Ragna the Bloodedge obtaining the Susano'o Unit. As Hazama had mentioned earlier, Hakumen was still present in this world and was currently bounded by the finest security system Sector Seven could afford.

[It's just pure impossible, Rachel. Not to mention, provided he did somehow get that armor in the Boundary, his physical body would have melted into that of Arakune.]

"I am aware. The meeting with Takamagahara also met the same dead end. But one of them made one interesting suggestion."

[I am listening.]

Rachel's eyes flashed dangerously. "It would seem that the Ragna who got out of the Boundary is not our timeline's Ragna, but from one of the aborted loops whose unclear circumstances led him to possess the Susano'o Unit. Our world's Ragna has fused with the Murakumo Unit to produce the Black Beast as expected."

[That is one insane but believable theory.] Kokonoe clicked her tongue and then laughed evilly. [But that would just give me another weapon to kill Terumi. Now that he has shown his ugly face, our plan can start.]

"While I don't approve of your obsession, the snake must be stopped at all costs."

…

Two days had passed and Noel still didn't leave Litchi's clinic, despite the doctor's persuasion and threatening with _it_, the girl wouldn't move an inch. Noel owned her life twice to Ragna, whom she was supposed to arrest. Not to mention, she had been having a weird but warm feeling whenever staying near him and she enjoyed it.

Elsewhere, a bandaged Hazama called for First Lieutenant Yayoi and informed her of Jin and Noel's betrayals. She could not believe it, of course, but when the green haired man presented the order from the Imperator herself, she had no choice but to comply. Tsubaki was relieved when the man agreed to her condition of bring both of them alive.

She was approached by Colonel Relius Clover and he asked Tsubaki to, if possible, bring with her Ragna the Bloodedge. He gave her the updated image of the Reaper and judging from his smirk and her shock, Relius knew he had hit the mark. It was a screenshot of Ragna standing over the bloodied Jin.

* * *

"**Brother…**"

Ragna's eyes snapped as the familiar voice called for him. He thought of being thrown into the Boundary again but luckily, surrounding him was a white void and there was a faint silhouette of his younger brother standing there.

"Jin, back then you were…"

"**It would seem that this body is the remains of my will in this armor. I have seen everything through your eyes, brother, and I am pleased with your resolve to protect the Girl of Blue, despite your mistaking her to Tsubaki back then.**"

"What do you mean – Oh, _oh_ I remember now. That one long haired woman that defended you and got skewered by Nu, right? Then who the hell is this girl I saw?"

"**I advise you from insulting Tsubaki further.**" Jin gave him a disapproving frown, something rarely seen from him. "**That girl is Noel Vermillion. She exists in the world that Tsubaki did not become my secretary and plays a vital role in this world.**"

Ragna snatched his head in confusion. Now his dead brother was playing cryptic words like the Rabbit too. Sucks to be him.

"Yeaaaah I understand most of what you are saying so basically, this Noel chick switches places with your Tsubaki chick and…" He made a double-take. "The hell is with 'this world'?"

"**Sometimes your idiocy rivals that of the cat. Yes, you and by extension, I, have crossed the dimension through the Boundary. And by doing that, we have effectively 'killed' the 'you' in this world.**"

Ragna looked at his shaking hands in disbelief.

"I…killed myself? This, this makes no sense dammit!"

"**As nonsense as how you can exist in the Susano'o Unit, this fact is trivial.**" Jin's body began to flicker. "**We don't have much time. Your body is starting to wake up and my astral form has its limit. Brother, when you meet Tsubaki, please protect her in my stead. I can't save her from the Murakumo Doll but I hope you can.**"

"…Heh, how can I refuse a request from my own brother." Ragna grinned. "Alright, leave this Tsubaki chick to me. You can rest now Jin. See ya in my next dream."

"**You have changed, brother.**" Jin smiled. "**See you in a near future. Oh, and go easy on the Hakumen of this world. He is just too delusional to listen to you**."

Everything became dark. The next thing Ragna was was a teary face of Noel and a relieved expression of Litchi.

* * *

That warps up Chapter 2. Since Bloodscythe, or Aramasa, is missing meaning Ragna cannot use a good portion of his moveset, I add a few to fill that gap. The arrow attack is based on Arrow-Ray Schtrom from Ultraman Nexus.

The Susano'o Unit is 'corrupted' and modified by Ragna's Azure Grimoire and his unique existence so he cannot summon Ookami or use Hakumen's techniques, including Time Killer. The Grimoire is sort of damaged during the assimilation process so it cannot heal Ragna as fast as before so the armor serves as his second body in case his main one is wounded.

R&R guys!


	3. Chapter 3

You may find the plot speed a bit rushed. It is because I write this in the (Character name) Story Mode format back in Calamity Trigger and Continuum Shift games. And most of the fights end fast because Ragna has trouble holding back in the Susano'o Unit but he will learn how to in the future.

Here is an early draft of his new moveset:

*Special:

Hell's Fang - No change (N/C)

Gauntlet Hades - N/C

Inferno Divider - Inferno Slasher

Dead Spike - No longer usable

Belial Edge/ Nightmare Edge -? Combined into Death Cross

Blood Scythe - Gale Blade

*Overdrive:

Blood Kain Idea - invalid until later.

*Distortion Drive:

Carnage Scissors - Infernal Buster/ Infernal Blaster

Devoured by Darkness - N/C

Disaster Gazer/ Disaster Roar (Overdrive)

Bloody Banquet (Counter-type)

*Astral Heat:

Black Onslaught - Black Onslaught Kai

Divine Judgment of Star God

* * *

~Broken Continuum Shift~

Ragna ignored the concerned questions that Noel kept asking him and decided to study her figure. It's true that she looked nothing like that Tsubaki girl except the uniform and he had a weird feeling when looking at her face.

'Saya… Wait, what am I thinking about?!'

He had his right hand on his face before noticing something strange. There was a black crack running from his wrist up to the shoulder. And worse, it was glowing. Noel's eyes were tearing up again, prompting Ragna to smack her head.

"Ah hell, stop crying for once!"

"I… I am sorry! Because of me, you get injured so bad –"

"I got worse in the past so man the hell up!"

At this point, Noel tried her best to hold back her tears and ended up crying more. Ragna let out a howl that chased away birds and dogs.

…

Later that day, Ragna was released from the clinic with another promise to pay Litchi back later. The doctor just gave up on asking him and returned to her house. Now Ragna had no idea where to go. Both of the bunny leech and his Master had told him to go Kagutsuchi and while he did kill the Murakumo Unit in this city, the price was high. He looked at his right hand and felt the beatings from the Azure Grimoire along with the Susano'o Unit.

"Dammit, what kind of mess did I get myself into?"

"Hm? What are you talking about, Mr. Ragna?" Noel loomed her face to Ragna's innocently.

"Nothing, idiot. Watch your steps!"

"Eep!"

True to his words, she stepped on a rock and nearly fell down when Ragna pulled her hand. She was about to thank him when his irritated face silenced her.

"P-Please don't scold me!"

"…Just be careful next time."

Ragna released her, patted her head twice and continued his way. Her face reminded him a little too much of his sister and being an overly protective older brother, he could not dare to yell at her. The incident with the 13th Murakumo had been the last straw. Meanwhile, Noel was still awestruck at how caring he was.

"Mr. Ragna, I..."

"Call me Ragna. The 'Mr.' part makes me old."

"…Are you, perhaps, Ragna the Bloodedge?"

A young spectacled boy with purple set of clothes and top hat stood before the duo. He looked nothing dangerous at all but Ragna eyed warily at the marionette behind him, hand subconsciously reaching the missing Bloodscythe.

'Darn, must be my habit.'

"O-Oh Carl, what are you doing here? And what are you finding Ragna for?"

Noel asked the boy with a friendly tone but everyone knew that her demeanor was forceful since she was wary of his Nox Nyctores as well. Almost instantly, the Deus Machina: Nirvana dashed at her with its sharp claws. Ragna jumped in and partly summoned the Susano'o to block the attack. Despite the armor's superior defense, he still felt the impact on his arms.

"I want to take his Azure Grimoire and I will kill anyone on my way, including you Miss Noel."

"Stop this, Carl! This is not like you!"

Ragna deflected another strike and retaliated with Inferno Slasher. He brought his own claws upward, empowered by darkness, to knock Nirvana to the air. Ragna then sent an additional jab at its face to send the doll further away.

"Don't try to reason with him. Nirvana has the tendency to inflict madness on its user." He said to Noel. "Go while I am holding him back."

"But his target is you –"

"And you will be caught in the crossfire! Argh!" Nirvana's claws sank deep in Ragna's arm as he grunted in pain. The shell on his right hand opened wider and the Susano'o further manifested. Seeing the situation got worse, Noel had no choice but comply. After making sure that she was out of range, Ragna turned to Carl who was surprised at his new power.

"Alright punk, you want blood." The mask covered his face and its feral grin grew. "I will give you one!"

* * *

Makoto Nanaya arrived at Kagutsuchi per Kokonoe's order to find Ragna the Bloodedge and signal her to teleport him back at Sector Seven's headquarters. The feline initially wanted to send Tager but the cyborg was still in repair since his last encounter with Hakumen so the beastkin was on the line.

"But professor, aren't us Sector Seven supposed to stay out of NOL's business? The Librarium won't happy with us capturing the Reaper."

[To hell with the NOL and their bullshit. Besides, I just want to study his Grimoire and then release him. His bounty is none of my interest.]

"But you can just locate him and warp him to your place." Makoto argued back while exiting the city's train station.

[Because some idiots had the bright idea to activate the jammer and none of my radars can pick his location! Talking to you is already a miracle itself so get to work quick or I will cut your salary!]

"U-Understood!"

…

Tsubaki Yayoi walked on the streets of Kagutsuchi in her Zero Squadron disguise coat. She thought of her friends and the supposed cause of their betrayals. Not to mention the picture.

"Is that…?"

She saw someone running hastily on the road, someone that she was familiar with. Tsubaki decided to come closer for a better look and was shocked to find Carl with numerous wounds. She tried to speak out for him when people's screams interrupting her. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. A _monster_ was dragging a motionless Nirvana across the street and it seemed to follow after Carl.

"Stop right there!"

Tsubaki dropped her guise and armed with Sealed Weapon Izayoi. The monster stopped his advance after seeing her and the cowering Carl. He effortlessly threw Nirvana to their spot.

"Go get your fucking doll and scram, kid. And don't show your goddamn face again."

"That voice! You are the Grim Reaper, Ragna the Bloodedge!"

Ragna dropped his face mask at this moment. Tsubaki took the chance to tell Carl to run away before things got escalated. The short boy used his tool to wake up Nirvana and fled the scene.

"You are that Tsubaki chick!"

"How dare you calling me a chick!" Ignoring how he knew of her name, Tsubaki took great offense at that nickname. She brandished her knife and rushed at Ragna.

"Woah hey lady, I am not here to fight you!"

"Silence! In the name of Justice, I will defeat you!"

The Izayoi shined as Tsubaki jumped and made a dive at the defending man with Agnus Dei. A dark colored blade extended from his arm as Ragna deflected her slash. They exchanged blows after blows, leveling the buildings around them.

"Stay still so I can arrest you, Ragna the Bloodedge!" Twelve blades shot out from Izayoi and formed a circle around Tsubaki, ready to skewer Ragna. The latter's right arm grew a massive bow on his forearm.

"Look, try to survive after this okay? That guy won't forgive me if you bite the dust here." Ragna began to pull the string as the bow cackled with energy and flared.

"Requiem Maledictis!"

"Disaster Gazer!"

Tsubaki commanded the blades to shoot towards the blazing arrow cutting the air ahead. Unsurprisingly, it tore through her Distortion Drive and collided into Tsubaki, resulting in her scream and fall into the ground. Ragna sighed before dismissing the Susano'o. He kneeled down before the weakly struggling Tsubaki.

"Stay put. I will haul your ass to the doctor."

"Shut up! I will avenge Jin – Argh!" The burning cut on her chest prevented her from shouting further. Ragna found it strange as he did beat Jin to a pulp but he clearly didn't finish his pathetic life.

'**Brother, I suspect that snake decided to push things sooner than I have anticipated. He is manipulating Tsubaki Yayoi into fighting you to buy him some time.**' His timeline's Jin whispered to his ears. Ragna found one more reason to fuel his hatred towards that despicable man. Speaking of Terumi, he was standing over a rooftop with Phantom floating nearby. His enhancing Ars allowed him to hear their conversation.

"Good, hate him more and become my perfect pawn!"

He also noticed the sneaking Makoto near Ragna and Tsubaki's location but chose to ignore the beastkin. Hazama focuses his eyes at Noel, who was wandering in the place that Ragna previously fought Carl. A malicious smirk crept on his face.

"Time to visit the Doll! Gyahahahaha!"

Back to Ragna, who was trying to be as gentle as possible but the girl kept punching his back!

"Stop hitting me, woman! I am getting you fixed up and all you do is breaking my fucking back!"

"I will never allow myself to be treated by a scum like you! Release me!"

Eventually she fainted due to her injures. It was tough but he managed to get to Litchi's clinic, two times in the row. The woman was tired when seeing him again but Ragna reasoned with her and promised to, again, pay her back.

"Good grief, at this rate I will get bankrupted because of you, Mr. Reaper."

"Yeah thanks a lot, doc."

Leaving Tsubaki at Litchi's hands, Ragna went outside to get some fresh air. After walking back at the ruined street to find Noel, he heard screaming at the alley and headed to there. It was Arakune catching a squirrel-looking beastkin in its trap.

"Gauntlet Hades!"

Ragna delivered a spin kick at the monstrosity and briefly stunned it. He quickly grabbed the beastkin and made a run. After a fairly far distance, he stopped to get a break.

"Ouch… You, you are Ragna the Bloodedge!" The squirrel girl exclaimed.

* * *

I seem to be unable to progress the story as 'normal' and 'Blazblue-like' at this rate. If someone can become my beta and help me with this problem, thank you very much!


	4. Chapter 4

~The Revelation~

Kokonoe looked at the screen with her left hand almost crushing the lollipop. She was furious when Makoto screwed it up by engaging with Arakune of all things then got relieved when Ragna the Bloodedge arrived to save her ass and _then_ got freaked out at the insane readings. There were words displaying among the numbers and symbols too.

"Are these… ancient Japanese?"

Kokonoe vaguely remembered the texts in one of many books that her mother had back then and activated the translation program but it gave out error. As the half beastkin wrote it herself, she could easily fix this. After a while, the progress resumed and it produced one name: Ame-no-Kagaseo. At that moment, numerous images poured into her brain in such a rate that it almost drove her insane.

"Ha… Ha…"

Kokonoe panted painfully on her seat. While she couldn't make out most of them, there was one image that was the clearest and the most lingering: a bloodied smile of someone whose face was blocked by the sunlight holding some sort of a nodachi. She reached the console and tried to identify the source of that name. It was from Ragna, or rather, the Susano'o Unit. She looked at a tank full of liquid containing a young girl with tied long hair and tanner skin.

"Dammit, of all the time and she needs further adjustment."

* * *

Ragna finished patching up Makoto's wounds with barely sufficient treatment, justified as he had a small medkit at the time. The squirrel girl had a nasty opening gap on her right feet and he had to cut a piece of his hakama to hold back the blood for the time being.

"You have a really shitty luck to run into that piece of a slime." Ragna commented while stirring the pot of soup. They had had to retreat to outside Kagutsuchi to hide from Arakune. That thing was suspiciously stubborn today. Luckily they ran to one of Ragna's previous safe tents so he had enough ingredients to cook for both of them.

"Don't remind me." Makoto was a bit sulky while massaging her stinging arm. "If Professor Kokonoe hadn't told me to get in touch with you, I would have stayed in my comfy room."

"Kokonoe? You mean, that one crazy scientist from Sector Seven? I thought you were with the Intelligence?"

"Used to be. Wore this one to infiltrate easily into NOL's bases. Speaking of NOL, Mr. Bloodedge –"

"Ragna is fine." He gave her a bowl of chicken soup. She vigorously drank it in one gulp despite the hotness.

"Ragna-kun, then. Words that you arrived in this city, killed all the soldiers along with Major Jin Kisaragi and Second Noel Vermillion. Is it correct?"

Ragna could see resentment in her eyes and sighed. The Librarium and their bullshit propaganda again.

"When I got to the building, it was empty as hell and while I did beat that idiot Jin to a pulp, I didn't kill him. In fact, I even left behind one of my emergency medkit too." He was proud of his cooking skills as always. "About Noel, we got out of that place and ran into a brat named Carl. Told her to run while I stayed behind to beat that shithead too. Was supposed to find her when seeing you actually."

Makoto studied his face and while she didn't like his language, it was genuine. Her phone was vibrating as it was from Kokonoe.

"Heya Professor, how are you doing? I am with Ragna the Bloodedge at the moment."

[I know that, idiot. Let me speak to him.]

"Roger that. Ragna-kun, Prof. Kokonoe wants to chat."

Ragna took the device and turned the camera to his face. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as the Grimalkin kept staring at him with her scheming eyes. Ragna noticed the scenery around them having a faint static-like phenomenon.

"**An Intervention. Must be them, Takamagahara.**" His brother's voice talked in his ears. Having learned of a brief summary about the Phenomenon Intervention, Ragna was not pleased to know that someone used some kind of magic hocus bogus to mess with everything.

A pulse from his Grimoire dispersed the Intervention, an act that was not unnoticed by Kokonoe. But she chose to ignore it, seeing it having a connection with his already unique existence.

[Ragna the Bloodedge, while I really want to open you up and examine that Azure Grimoire of yours, you should head back to the Kagutsuchi NOL branch. Noel Vermillion is in danger.]

"Noel?! What's wrong with her?!"

[Lower your voice, idiot. I am risking being listened to talk with you here.] Kokonoe rubbed her forehead. [Yuuki Terumi forced her to perform Observation on him and now being engaged by a woman from Zero Squadron called Tsubaki Yayoi. Haul your ass there quickly.]

And she cut off the connection. Ragna was trembling with anger and anxiety. The last time he saw that snake, he was attempting on Noel and now he succeeded. He didn't care what would happen with this Observation thing, he now had a perfect reason to rip that bastard apart. Seithr in the atmosphere began to form a tornado around him and poured into his body.

"What the -?! Ragna-kun!"

Makoto was worried. She knew little about the Grimoire but a normal person could say that having too much Seithr inside you would lead to terrible result. But he emerged from it unscathed and was in a scary-looking armor. Ragna turned to look at her, his eyes burning with rage.

"Nanaya, Noel's your friend right?"

"Y-yeah, what's wrong with it?"

"Can't say much about the detail but she is about to get killed."

He made a run toward Kagutsuchi with Makoto trailing behind. Above them, Rachel was flying in the air, following them closely. Ragna was, once again, a puppet of fate and this time, it was the Disaster God who had set his eyes on the poor soul and placed a very strong Observation on Ragna, ensuring his existence in this foreign world. But she didn't understand how he could infiltrate into the Dream of God. Not to mention, who had released Him from the Eternal Prison?

"No matter what his intention is, it can't be good." For the first time in her life, Rachel cursed, particularly at the Star God of Destruction.

* * *

Relius Clover stood at the platform with Hazama, who was still laughing since his technical resurrection, and watched the heated fight between Noel Vermillion and First Lieutenant Tsubaki Yayoi. It was tough locating the latter's location but then with a simple urge of using Imperator's name, the Mad Puppeteer led her straight up to the Doll and arranged both the Observation on his colleague and the mock battle with Yayoi.

"Tsubaki, please stop! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Silence! I gave you the chance to come with me unharmed but now you force my hand!"

Relius paid no mind to the outcome of this battle. All was to lure the Reaper here. And he had a good countermeasure on Ragna, if the memories he had extracted from Yayoi was correct.

* * *

Hakumen stood motionlessly at the entrance hall of the NOL headquarters, his mind in turmoil. The lich had released him from the restraints placed on him by Kokonoe and informed him of the situation. His original intention was to prevent the birth of another Black Beast but it had escalated into more apocalyptic level: The Dark One had become the vessel for the Disaster God, a much more dangerous entity than Terumi. And worse, as His Apostle, Ragna could never perish each time he 'died', he would return and become stronger. The process was to adjust the vessel closer to the God so that He could manifest.

Speaking of the devil, there was he. Hakumen recognized a familiar face as well.

"Dark One…"

"Ah hell, you again." Ragna complained while abruptly stopped running, causing Makoto to hit his back.

"Owie… What's wrong, Ragna-kun?"

"…You go ahead, Nanaya. I will have to take care of this Masked Freak here."

"You sure?"

Ragna laughed lightly as he put on the mask. "Yeah. Be careful of a green haired asshole with fedora, okay? He is too dangerous for you to handle." And with that, Makoto continued her way and unsurprisingly, Hakumen allowed her go. Said Hero and Ragna walked in circle slowly in order to gauge each other's strength.

"A vile man like you should never been able to obtain the Susano'o Unit." Hakumen chided, his right hand gripping on Ookami.

"Pretty sure it can handle me like it to you, _Jin_." Ragna's claws glowed with dark aura. Hakumen momentarily froze in shock and let his guard down, allowing Ragna to deliver the first strike. Thankfully, his experience gained him a sharp instinct.

"Hotaru!"

"Inferno Slasher!"

A sharp talon grew on Ragna's forearm as he slashed upward to intercept Hakumen's powerful kick. Using the impact as momentum, Ragna jumped backward and had a talon transformed into a long blade before diving.

"Death Cross!"

"Zantetsu!"

The tip of Ookami clashed against the energy edge of the nodachi, which caused Ragna's arm sting a bit due to Hakumen's strength. Nonetheless, the red Susano'o shifted his stance and thrust forward, colliding with the second low slash of Zantetsu. Both warriors were pushing their blades against each other intensely that their battle auras started causing the ground to shake.

"Does your evil know no bound, Dark One? You sought after the Susano'o Unit from the Boundary, no matter how slim the chance was, to wreak chaos further. I cannot overlook your existence anymore."

"Shut up, asshole. Almost dead in there and I lost my Blood Scythe too." There was hesitation in Ragna's voice and Hakumen snorted at that. They broke combat and jumped back to get some distance. Ragna was tempted to make another attack again but for some reasons, a soothing feeling eased his head and he saw no more.

Seeing his crimson counterpart standing still and making no move, Hakumen had a very bad feeling. Just to be sure, he focused his energy and unleashed Shippuu towards Ragna. Surprisingly, he did not dodge or block but instead, a blood red bow manifested on his arm and he pulled.

"Disaster Gazer!"

Ragna yelled as a large arrow shot out from his bow and much to Hakumen's shock, it broke through Shippuu like it was a mere wind and blasted into him, sending him into the pillars behind. He brought his hands forward and 'ripped' apart the space, revealing his exact destination, before entering it.

* * *

Makoto didn't expect to meet her old boss and Colonel Clover here.

"Oh, isn't my lovely subordinate, Makoto Nanaya?" Hazama greeted her with his ever perpetual smile. And then it dropped to reveal a maniac expression underneath the fedora. "Or rather,_ former_ guinea pig. Never thought you would show your ugly face here, freak."

"Captain Hazama…" Makoto warily said, remembering Ragna's warning of Hazama's true nature. "No, that's just a fake name. Who are you exactly? And by the way, did you order Tsubaki to kill Noel and Major Kisaragi?" She slowly approached the platform, having heard sounds of weapons clashing ahead, while eying the duo nervously. Her tonfas were ready.

"As expected of a former Intelligence officer, you know a lot." He dropped down from his spot and was visibly annoyed. "And I don't like insects that get in my way. DIE!"

"Corona Upper!"

Hazama's dropkick Hirentotsu slammed into Makoto's uppercut. She was careful enough to deflect the Ouroboros attempting to bite her arm and sent a Comet Cannon to its owner. Unfazed by the sphere, Hazama dashed to the beastkin with his knife thrusting forward, which managed to gaze her left cheek.

"Tch!" Makoto wiped the blood, feeling a bit itchy at the wound. Hazama creepily licked his knife and laughed.

"Don't worry. I will enjoy slice your face apart! Ressenga!"

"Sirius Jolt!"

Makoto pulled back her fist and then delivered a strong blow into Hazama's leg, breaking it immediately and sending him flying. The man screamed at the pain.

"How the hell did that bitch become so strong?! Relius, say something you motherfucker!"

"…Hmm." Relius observed Makoto and discovered something very unusual. His mask had a build-in inspecting google so he could determine the source: it was a small but glowing crest on her left shoulder. It was giving off a protective aura that prevented any Phenomenon Intervention and magic influence, that's why the instruction he had given to Phantom beforehand didn't work.

"We have a new player, Hazama."

"Fuck! It can't be Rags again!"

Hazama was busy dodging punches after punches from Makoto. Relius had enough of this obstacle so he summoned Ignis and decided to enter the fray.

"Id Haas!"

Ignis spun towards Makoto with its sharp claws, who barely saw this and raised her tonfas to block. The claws shredded the skin on her forearms but other than that, she was okay. Makoto returned the gesture with Cosmic Ray, knocking off the marionette. Relius called out his gadgets and ganged up on her with Hazama, who had Phantom briefly treat his leg.

They abruptly stopped when Ragna emerged from the crack of dimension. In the same time, the same crack shattered the Zanki Barrier that Tsubaki had erected earlier, revealing a battered Noel and an emotionless Tsubaki.

To say Ragna was pissed was an understatement. A bloodlust aura radiated from his body so strong that Terumi of all people was shivering. The Susano'o spurted out tendrils from his back resembling the Black Beast's heads. He had the heads assaulting Relius and Hazama while he grabbed Makoto.

"Y-You came!"

"Yeah, took you long enough. Go get Noel and leave those bastards to me."

* * *

That's all for this chapter. R&R guys!


	5. Chapter 5

~Everything is back to normal~

Imperator, or Hades Izanami to those close to her, was awakened sooner than planned by Relius Clover and informed of the new elements in their scheme. The Goddess did not care and dismiss Relius but the man didn't leave without dropping the'Ragna the Bloodedge is the Apostle of Disaster God now'. Her vessel stirred at the mention of that man; it would seem that it still refused to give in. However, Izanami knew of a good card to play: she channeled the information of the Disaster God and what would happen to His Apostle across their shared mind.

'**No, Nii-sama…! Save Nii-sama! Nii-sama! NII-SAMAAAA!**'

It took a short period for Saya to stay silent and let Izanami in control. The latter was pleased with her move. Now to the main problem. With a fraction of His power inside him, Ragna the Bloodedge could negate a normal Intervention so Takamagahara was useless. However, Izanami had a solution for this and it would require her Drive. She wasn't sure that her current state could handle the transformation but to ensure the Doomsday, a little sacrifice was nothing.

Izanami started chanting as the crown on her robe shone. Even Phantom's magic couldn't harm Ragna the Bloodedge then there was only one option left.

"**Oh, how desperate you are, Izanagi's little bitch.**" Ragna suddenly appeared in her chamber. Saya immediately reacted to him but then froze, with Izanami, when seeing a smirk that looked even crazier than Terumi's. His attire was vastly different from the public image: a dark trench coat with an unfamiliar crest on the back, an ancient Japanese-type kimono with red and black color scheme, a pair of white gloves and Blood Scythe hanging on his back.

"**Surprised to see me – Hm? You are not Izanami, at least not the Mikoto one**." 'Ragna' approached the frozen woman and leered forwards to take a good look. He grinned. "**Ah I see. You are **_**that**_** girl's Drive! How interesting. A powerful entity, puppet as she may be, like her allowed you to manifest as a separate being.**"

"Amatsu…!" Izanami snarled. Despite her true identity, it was a common knowledge in the Origin Units that they were actually created to keep an eye on the Eternal Prison containing Him, Amatsu as she proclaimed. The man in question waved his hand at Izanami and she felt like she was being ripped apart from inside. In seconds, her body split into two: one was her true form and the other was the vessel.

"Nii…sama…" The vessel muttered before pausing to realize that she was free of Izanami's control, for now. Izanami looked at her in disbelief as Saya was supposed to disappear in that day, what's left in the body was a small will.

"**It is a trivial matter for me to call back the soul of the dead.**" Amatsu said, eyes closed. "**I want to see you in your truest form but I was disappointed. Amaterasu has been too easy on you, I suppose.**"

"Goading me will lead you to no end. State your business here, Amatsu, or I shall banish you back to Yomi." Izanami tried to make a brave face but that only made His smirk grow even sickening.

"**You, banish me?! Kuh….Kuhahahahahaha!**" Amatsu brought his hand to his face and laughed. "**I don't know if a Drive like you knows of that event but it was **_**I **_**who devoured Izanagi and assimilated his flesh. It was I who rendered the Izanami-no-Mikoto a being that even worse than a mortal! It. Was. I. who created all three Origin Units.**"

Izanami did not believe of course, but deep down in her mind, a synchronized fear of hers and Amaterasu started to build up.

"**What made you think that you gained the power over time and dead from? Amaterasu? Wrooooong, **_**I **_**granted these abilities to you Units.**" With a small wave of his hand, Amatsu stopped the flow of time and cut off the chamber from the dimensional space.

"Nii-sama…Is that really you?" Saya timidly spoke, hoping to get Amatsu's attention.

"**Hmm? Oh, the younger sibling of my vessel.**" He walked to the girl and studied her face. He smiled lightly. "**Unfortunately, I am not him, Ragna the Bloodedge. This body is a mere imitation modeled after my last appearance in mortal plane.**"

"So it is true…You are going to kill Nii-sama…"

"**Non non! I don't have the intention to take his body for myself!**" _Not now_. "**Rather, I want to see if it's worth my time pulling him from the Boundary.**"

"What is your game, Amatsu? You are not the type to help others without getting something back." Izanami spoke with her calm voice. Amatsu loomed over her petty figure and grabbed her throat to bring her closer to his face. To say she was annoyed with seeing someone looking like Ragna this close was a statement.

"**Why, I want to watch a good show! The ultimate showdown between Good and Evil! The banquet between monsters! The drama, the romance, the tragedy! I want to see the faces of you people when the heroes ruin your plan, their owns when you kill their loved ones! The tears, the smiles, the screams! I WANT TO WATCH THEM ALL!**"

He let go of her and turned around. Time began to flow normally afterward.

"**I shall allow whatever you are going to do for now. But remember.**" Amatsu's body was engulfed with light. "**Do not test my patience eh, Izanami-chan. Toodles!**"

* * *

"The Vessel is going out of control." TA commented with his grunt voice. They were observing the curb stomp battle of Ragna against Hazama and Relius. Tb had deduced earlier that the Susano'o Unit had been heavily modified with the armor now amplifying the user's anger and fueling it under the guise of seithr. Overusing it wouldn't turn Ragna into Black Beast but something even more dangerous.

"Indeed. Currently, we cannot interfere with the timeline. All systems are in lockdown and Observation on Yuuki Terumi is below minimum. Furthermore, Amatsu #### is in audience with Hades." TB analyzed. The screen switched to the Imperator Chamber, where a Ragna-lookalike was talking with Izanami.

"Permission from Ame-no-Kagaseoh granted." TC informed. The distorted space around the three chairs became the normal white.

"Then reset the shift already!" TA urged irritably.

…

Ragna was standing over a bloodied Relius with a dead Hazama lying nearby, his chest having a hand-sized hole, and Ignis completely torn apart. Despite the situation and his grave injures, the Mad Puppeteer was calm.

"Clover, any fucking last words?" Ragna raised his claws.

"Why yes." The space around them began to flicker, causing Ragna to look around frantically. "Good luck trying to repeat this outcome. I am looking forward it." And everything went white. In the white void, Amatsu smirked evilly.

* * *

-AD 2199/12/31-

Hazama's eyes snapped open as he saw the familiar ceiling. Panting hard as he recalled being trashed around by Rags and was technically dead that time as this body ceased functioning and he had to watch Relius getting kicked around too. It was fun but that was completely out of his calculation and that was hurt as fuck.

"Grab my hand!"

Hazama heard a yell from below and was delighted to see little Noel Vermillion saving Raggy from the clutch of Nu-13, all according to his plan. He noticed that Rags still had Bloodscythe on his waist, meaning this should be the normal Rags, not that…_monster_.

To say he was happy was an understatement. Terumi was beyond _ecstatic._ But he had to hold his laughter back as he saw that vampire appear next to the pair. In his visions, that bitch would go and use Tsukuyomi to block Take-Mikazuchi's blast, losing her status in process. And that she did.

"Well then, let's make my entrance shall we?" And Hazama jumped down.

…

Jubei was wandering around the forest of Kagutsuchi when he heard screams of people ahead. The beastkin froze at the aftermath of a massacre with bodies lying everywhere in their pool of blood. Only one man left standing and he was looking at the sky with a gaze that only associated with coldblooded murderers and a small yet crazed smile.

"You…! How can you put down people as if they were nothing?!" Jubei drew Musashi and pointed one of them at the man. His surprise only grew more as the man turned to him. It was Ragna, or rather, someone looked too much like his pupil.

"Oh, fancy to meet you here. Jubei of Six Heroes or better yet, _Mitsuyoshi_."

"That voice… It cannot be, Kagase! You are supposed to _die_ back then!"

Jubei snarled angrily at Kagase, who twirled his sword few times to wipe away the blood on its edge before sheathing it. He steadily walked to the hissing cat beastkin with his arms opening wide as if to greet an old friend.

"Ah come on, is cursing a gesture to say hello these days? Man, I am hurt!" Kagase faked a heart attack in front of even more irritated Jubei and then laughed. "After I threw myself at the Black Beast and allowed you guys to finish that thing off, _this_ is what I get now?"

"Don't ya dare kid me, if it hadn't been for young Ayame's wishes, I would have cut your head before that day!" Jubei yelled as his grip on Musashi tightened. Kagase frowned a bit but still laughed nonetheless.

"That girl? Well I did feel regret for killing her but hey, she was destined to _die_ after overusing Izayoi but you guys tricked me to save her and fuck, I can't do anything other than to finish her already fading life. Did you think I did that for shit and giggles?! Don't compare me with the likes of _Yuuki Terumi._" Kagase's eyes went from gunmetal to blood red. A glimpse of the Susano'o Unit, the same color as Ragna's, manifested behind him as result. Jubei shook his head in disappointment.

"She _loved_ you, Kagase, and it pained me to remind of her bloodied face when she said it."

"Because _you_ were not there to save her, no one even Trinity! She asked me to do the job and fuck you if you dare to say I enjoyed doing it!"

Jubei lowered his head as he remembered at the time when the Six Heroes, Celica and Kagase went to defend Naobi against the rampaging Black Beast. Kagase and Terumi were gravely injured and while the latter was transported back to Ishana to recover, Kagase was left behind during the confusion in the city. It was that moment when the captain of Naobi's defense force, Ayame Yayoi, discovered and brought him back to Yayoi family mansion. And it was the Six Heroes' fault that Kagase had fallen into the depth of madness.

* * *

*Flashback*

"Ya rascal, I knew you would try to swoon her." Mitsuyoshi grinned at the sight of Kagase holding hand with a nervous and embarrassed Ayame. Despite his reddened face, he still grinned.

"Hey, you can't resist the power of love! And besides, who knows what the hell you and Nine do whenever you two are alone." He sent a knowing look with Ayame, which caused the sorceress and beastkin in question flinched and started speaking nonsense to hide their own embarrassment.

…

"Ka…ga…se…"

"Stop talking, you are making it worse!" Kagase cried while cradling a battered and weakly breathing Ayame in his arms. He looked at his surroundings desperately but no one was here to help him. What was she thinking to follow him?! He had already made it clear that he would go alone to confront the Beast alone and their relationship ended the moment he regained _those_ memories. To be frank, he wasn't supposed to live this long so he had made up his mind.

And Ayame just _had_ to follow him!

"I…so happy…to meet…you…again…I –"

"I said shut up dammit! Fuck, you could have lived peacefully, why following a shitty bastard like me!"

Ayame brought her hand to Kagase's cheek and rubbed it gently, next to her was the Sealed Armament: Izayoi, the source of her suffering. He held her hand in grief and teared up.

"There...You are crying…"

"Of course I am! You are _dying_, for fuck's sake!"

"Then it proves…that…you…are…a human…being…You…don't have to…die…again…" And she breathed her last. Kagase couldn't stop his mind from going overloaded as he clutched her lifeless body and let out an anguished cry. Later, Mitsuyoshi and Hakumen arrived due to the blocked entrance to the facility. The latter paid respect and regret in silence while the beastkin hero tried to comfort Kagase.

*End flashback*

* * *

"Hey, stop reminiscing will ya?" Jubei was snapped back to the reality by a flick from Kagase, whose personality literally switched 180 degrees. Trinity and Celica suspected that due to the trauma of Ayame's death, he developed a personality disorder, which they were unable to cure effectively. Even with Mind Eater, the method that Jubei disgusted most, was ineffective.

"Nothin'. So, I presume my daughter has a hand on how you are here, right?"

"Maybe and maybe not." Kagase rested his hands over his head and replied nonchalantly. "I have a life link, you know. It has a part on pulling me out of that mess and it is your job to guess the other end of the link."

He walked to pick up Oogami, a twin sibling of Ookami that unlike Hakumen's sword, it was created using what had anchored Kagase in this reality and prevented him from dying in that day, the Red Susano'o. Jubei mused, wondering if his pupil had acquired it. Kagase pointed the blade towards the beastkin with an inviting smirk.

"It has been long since our last clash. Why don't you and I kill some time until _it_ happens, hm?"

"Don't blame me if you end up dying again eh, Kagase." Jubei snorted before pulling out his Musashi.

* * *

From now on, this story will follow the canon path in Continuum Shift. You may probably deduce who Kagase really is.


End file.
